The Economy: Quite a Lot More

After two years of research, the Bureau
of Labor Statistics last week reported that urban dwellers paid more to
live "moderately" in 1966 than they did to enjoy a "modest but
adequate" existence in 1959. Exactly how much more they paid was lost
in weighted statistics and educated guesses, but the B.L.S. figures
indicated that it was really a great deal more.

For its study, the B.L.S. created a family of four: a 38-year-old
employed husband, his wife and their two children, eight and 13. The
bureau then worked out a budget for them, based on what it costs to
live...